Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
A 36-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with an arson attack that destroyed several Tesla vehicles earlier this month at a service center in Las Vegas, authorities said. Commenting on the case, Tesla CEO Elon Musk called it an act of terrorism.
The incident occurred around 2:45 a.m. local time on March 18 at the Tesla Collision Center on West Badura Avenue. The suspect, identified as Paul Hyon Kim, was taken into custody on Thursday and booked into the Clark County Detention Center, court and jail records show.
He faces 15 charges, including first-degree arson, destruction of property valued at $5,000 or more, possession of an incendiary device, and misdemeanor discharging a firearm into a vehicle.
Surveillance footage released by the police shows a man dressed in black throwing Molotov cocktails at multiple Tesla vehicles parked at the facility. Investigators said five vehicles were set on fire, and one of the incendiary devices failed to detonate and was later recovered inside a vehicle.
According to Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren, Kim arrived in a car and parked near the collision center. Armed with a rifle, he shot at the business’s surveillance cameras and then spray-painted the word “RESIST” on the front doors. He then fired at at least five vehicles and threw Molotov cocktails to set them on fire. He fled the scene in his vehicle, which was later identified through video footage from more than 700 locations across the Las Vegas area.
“This was a targeted attack against a Tesla facility,” Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said during a press conference. “While we believe this was an isolated incident, we are increasing our presence at Tesla-related locations throughout the valley as a precaution.”
The motive behind the attack remains under investigation, though police suggested ideological motivations may be involved.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk condemned the incident on his social media platform X, calling it “terrorism” and writing, “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”
